April 22, 2022 marks the 43rd anniversary of the Rolling Stones CNIB concert that took place in the Oshawa Civic Auditorium – mere steps from what was then a parking lot and is now the home of Trent University Durham GTA.

To mark the occasion, Dr. Scott Henderson, dean and head of Trent University Durham GTA, and Trent University's resident pop culture expert, hosted a seminar to discuss the concert’s enduring relevance in Oshawa’s local musical heritage.

Professor Henderson was joined by Tanya Bailey, a doctoral candidate from Catharine Parr Traill College who is currently researching World War II influences in Keith Richards’ early song writing, and Dr. Gary Genosko, a communication and digital media studies professor at Ontario Tech University, and the organizer of the evening’s discussion.

The seminar highlighted the meaningful connection the concert has with the Oshawa campus, and how the event itself continues to have ripple effects in the broader community.

“The connection Trent has to the site was catalyst for an event where could interrogate this legacy from multiple academic perspectives,” explains Prof. Henderson. “It is easy enough to say ‘It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll (But I Like It)’, but rock culture and popular culture more broadly shapes so much of our culture and society, and our sense of place, and it is vital that we seek ways to understand its importance and influence.”

Being part of a music cultural moment

“The event was never planned for Oshawa,” says Professor Genosko. Following a possession conviction in Toronto, Richards was ordered to perform a fundraising event for the CNIB at its headquarters – impossible due to the size of the space.

Other venues, including Maple Leafs Gardens and Varsity Arena, were explored only to fall through. It was at that point that the promoter turned to an unconventional venue – the Oshawa Civic Auditorium, then home to the Oshawa Generals. How the event ended up in Oshawa was a result of protests and politics – something Rolling Stones front man Mick Jagger found hard to understand according to Prof. Genosko.

This was a world-renowned band playing a community auditorium intended for few more than 4,000 attendees – and the place was packed. People came from all over to see the band perform. This turned out to be a significant moment for Oshawa’s entertainment scene and for Richards.

“I think it is very interesting that Keith found himself at a turning point in his life, right here in Ontario, in a place he has always felt a special connection to, but has a complex relationship with,” says Tanya. “Keith ended up in Oshawa doing this concert at a time in his life when he was ready to let some of his pain go and make changes in his life.  Keith has credited this event, the concert he gave in a working-class city much like his own hometown of Dartford, as being that turning point that let him live a healthier, happier life. There is a beautiful symmetry in that.”

Before the concert, Oshawa was barely on the map, musically speaking. But there it was – a world class band, performing for a pulsating arena, filled with fans who had waited overnight in long lines to purchase tickets. Never in Oshawa’s history had such a small space been overwhelmed by so many fans.

“The question for me is about how best to memorialize a piece of musical cultural heritage in the city of Oshawa,” says Prof. Genosko. “Oshawa's musical history is quite rich, but largely unknown outside of certain groups. Typical cultural heritage plans do not take into account events like the Keith Richards' Benefit Concert for the CNIB.”

Building into musical culture and musicians in Oshawa

Tanya says that she hopes seminars like the one coordinated by Prof. Henderson inspire the community to continue to develop and build into the music local industry.

“With the many troubles we've experienced over the past few years, remembering this concert and looking forward to future music events, is very important,” says Tanya. “My hope is that people will embrace music and try to foster it.”

Tanya further encourages small communities to build into young artists, saying, “That small band or solo musician you have the chance to see today in a neighbourhood bar or concert in the park, could one day be our own future star, but it can only happen when we give them a chance to play.”

“I am very excited that Trent Durham GTA hosted this Keith Richards Day seminar. It is a milestone event, not just in Oshawa’s music history, but in the wider history of rock culture,” says Prof. Henderson. “The fact that our new residence and academic building is on such ‘fabled’ ground is fantastic – and as a scholar of popular music culture, I am personally pleased that we have this connection at Trent Durham.”